Natural History* 451 



or favour its f^rowth ; and will supply leaves during the winter, and 

 especially in sprinj^. 



It is necessary that the seeds should be sown in ground in which 

 none have been grown for some years preceding; its culture does 

 not differ essentially from that of the corn-salad. — Ann, de V Agri- 

 culture Franc, xli. 



14. New kind of Cqffhe. — Endeavours have often been made in 

 France to discover a substitute for foreign coffee. According to 

 M. Pajot Descharmes, the seeds of the broom answer this purpose 

 exceedingly well, according to the opinion of a person who has taken 

 it for twelve years. Being moderately roasted, ground, and pre- 

 pared in the manner of ordinary coffee, this person finds no dif- 

 ference between it and coffee. It is not the garden but the forest 

 broom, the seeds of which are to be taken for this use. It appears 

 that in that part of Holland bordering upon Germany, this sub- 

 stance has been used instead of coffee for many years. — Recueil In- 

 dustriel. vii. 85. 



15. Maturation of Wine. — M. de St. Vincent, of Havre, states, 

 from his own experience of long continuance, that when bottles 

 containing wine are closed by tying a piece of parchment or blad- 

 der over their mouths, instead of using corks in the ordinary man- 

 ner, the wine acquires, in a few weeks only, those qualities which is 

 only given by age in the ordinary way after many years. — Nouveau 

 Jour, de Paris. 



16. Indications of Wholesomeness in Mushrooms, — ^Whenever a 

 fungus is pleasant in flavour and odour, it may be considered 

 wholesome ; if, on the contrary, it have an offensive smell, a bitter, 

 astringent, or styptic taste, or even if it leave an unpleasant flavour 

 in the mouth, it should not be considered fit for food. The colour, 

 figure, and texture of these vegetables do not afford any characters 

 on which we can safely rely ; yet it may be remarked, that in 

 colour, the pure yellow, gold colour, bluish pale, dark or lustre 

 brown, wine red, or the violet, belong to many that are esculent ; 

 whilst the pale or sulphur yellow, bright or blood red, and the 

 greenish, belong to few but the poisonous. The safe kinds have 

 most frequently a compact, brittle texture ; the flesh is white ; they 

 grow more readily in open places, such as dry pastures and waste 

 lands, than in places humid or shaded by wood. In general, those 

 should be suspected which grow in caverns and subterraneous pas- 

 sages, on animal matter undergoing putrefaction, as well as those 

 whose flesh is sofl or watery. 



17. On Artificial Incubation^ by means of Hot Mineral Waters. 

 — This curious process is described very briefly in a letter by M, 

 D'Arcet. The following are extracts from this letter : — 



" In June, 1825, 1 obtained chickens and pigeons at Vichy, by 



